A blind Chinese activist who fled persecution by local officials in his rural town and sparked a diplomatic standoff by holing up in the U.S. Embassy for six days emerged Wednesday after U.S. officials said China had assured his safety.

Chen Guangcheng's escape from illegal house arrest in eastern China and his flight into the protection of U.S. diplomats in Beijing last week had threatened to derail annual U.S.-China strategic talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton starting Thursday.

Read the full report at http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHINA_BLIND_LAWYER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-02-09-03-44